Chapter 28
TWENTY-EIGHT
MARK
With a sinking feeling Mark wondered how many more meetings with his friends there would be at Wisteria House, even though there had been no viewings of the building.
At least not yet. He supposed he still had enough money for a deposit on something else, but property was snapped up really quickly around these parts.
Still, he would enjoy today and the opportunity to further foster his new friendships that had taken him completely by surprise.
‘Welcome. It’s lovely to meet you.’
Mark, dressed in jeans and a pale-green polo shirt, shook hands with Carol, as Maisie and her friend raced to the corner of the garden to look at the fairy water feature.
‘Thanks, and it’s nice to meet you too.’ Carol smiled and blushed a little.
Jess introduced her mum to Declan, but Alice was nowhere to be found.
‘Is Alice making a late entrance?’ asked Jess as Mark passed bottles of beers to his guests. He was pleased the weather had turned out well as predicted, the afternoon sunny and bright.
‘Yes, I called her. She said she will be here in ten minutes. She was running a bit late today; she said something about having an appointment somewhere,’ said Mark, just as the sound of the doorbell drifted through to the garden and he went to answer it.
‘There you are.’ Mark beamed as he answered the door and led Alice outside. She looked smart in a stylish cream linen shirt dress, accessorised with a necklace of coloured glass beads.
When introductions were made, Mark saw Carol’s mouth fall open.
‘You can’t be Alice. Is it true you’re ninety years old?’ She was unable to help herself as the straight-backed woman standing in front of her looked at least a decade younger.
‘I am. Ninety-one actually, and that’s very kind of you to say.’ Alice smiled. ‘Although don’t be fooled by the exterior. These old bones are feeling it a bit these days.’ She rubbed her back.
‘Nonsense,’ said Mark, gratefully accepting a bottle of whisky from her and whispering, ‘Maybe just the one later.’ He didn’t want the repeat of a hangover after the last time he had overindulged.
‘Alice here was steering the boat out on the river last week,’ he informed his guests, and they all marvelled at her spirit.
‘Ah, but you don’t see how long it takes me to get out of bed in the morning,’ said Alice. ‘Or how I have to grip onto the handrail whilst walking down the steps outside. That does make me feel old. Anyway, I am not here to talk about my aging problems.’ She laughed. ‘This is meant to be a party.’
‘Alice.’ Maisie came running over and gave Alice a hug, as her friend stood watching.
‘Maisie, who is your little friend?’ Alice smiled warmly at the little girls.
‘I’m Libby,’ said the little blonde girl with the face of an angel.
‘Well, I am pleased to meet you, Libby,’ said Alice.
‘I have something for you,’ said Maisie, running into the kitchen to retrieve her little pink handbag. She opened it up and pulled out a square of fudge wrapped in cellophane. ‘I saved one for you,’ she said, handing it to Alice, whose eyes were welling up.
The kindness of children never failed to astonish.
‘Thank you so much. Do you mind if I save it for later after some food? And I have something for you and your friend too.’ She handed them the gingerbread men she had bought. ‘Although maybe you should eat a little food first too.’ She winked.
‘Thank you,’ said Maisie, before racing off with her friend once more.
Alice glanced at them across the garden, sitting on the grass playing a game that involved patting their hands together and singing. The sound of their laughter dancing across the garden was music to her ears.
A table alongside the BBQ was soon piled with spicy chicken wings, burgers, and good quality sausages. A huge salad and buns sat alongside them, and Carol had bought a potato salad and a cheesecake.
‘Sorry they are not home-made, although it is from Co-op’s finest range,’ she told Mark as she set the food down on the table.
They were all sitting around on plastic garden chairs that Mark had found online and ordered half a dozen from . He had retrieved an old table from the shed and covered it with a nice tablecloth for the food, and thankfully it looked quite presentable.
Carol, chatty and entertaining, charmed everyone and had Mark in fits of laughter, as she recounted tales about this and that, including customers at the Co-op when she worked there.
‘One lady used to call in and occasionally bring her parrot with her, tethered to her wrist like one of those birds of prey you see at displays.’ She chuckled. ‘She said it enjoyed the fresh air and hated being alone.’
‘You’re kidding!’ said Mark.
‘No, it’s quite true. The manager didn’t mind at first, as she was usually in and out for some milk or something, but he had to ban it when it told a customer in the queue to—’ She looked at the girls and continued, ‘Well, you can guess what it said!’
The group laughed loudly. Alice said it took all sorts, which was so true. A day in the city and you could just about observe a whole cross section of life right there.
Mark felt a sudden gratitude sitting here and laughing with these people. It occurred to him that we never really know what is going on in other people’s lives. And without taking that first step to get to know those around us, we never will.